Means for protectively supporting rapidly rotated shafts



Sept. 13, 1932. FQR$BERG 1,876,656

MEANS FOR PROTECTIVELY SUPPORTING RAPIDLY ROTATED SHAFTS Filed Dec. 19. 1927' anti-friction bearings .0 It is necessary, primarily,

4 rings shall help in taking up the axial force,

As an' example,

Patented Sept. 13,, 1932 oer-Ice ATT C;

imam auansr nonsense, or srocxnorm, swnnnn, ASSIGNOR TO THE nn Lever.

' smana'roa tour, or new roan, n. Y., A conronarron on NEW JERSEY MEANS FOR PROTECTIVELY SUPZPOBTING' RAIPIDLY ROTATED SEAFTS Application m December 1a, 1927, Serial no. eel-.043, and

In rapidly rotating machines, particularly centrifugal separators, the use of anti-friction bearings has been attempted, but certain difiiculties have been encountered. By I mean to include ball bearings, roller bearings and combinations of roller and ball bearings, which roller bearings take up the side pres sure and ball bearings take up the end'thrust. to protect the anti-friction. bearings against entering impurities, such as dust, water, moisture, milk and other foreign I essary to insure that the bearings shall have that degree of elasticit for rapidly rotating b0 It has been possible, heretofore, to fulfill one of these conditions, but to fulfill both t has been necessary to resort to relatively complicated devices small centrifu es, are not practicable.

By means 0% ies.

my 1nvent1on, a satisfactory arrangement of anti-friction bearings-1s se-' cured or permitted, and at the same time such bearings are fully-protected from impurities and offer the same degree of elasticity as s usual in bearing devices, while the device 1s simple, inexpensive and easy to manufacture. In the drawing, which shows one preferred embodiment of my invention: ,1

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a centrifugal separator embodyi my invention. Fig. 2 is a section on the hue 22 of Fig.

The. separator bowl on is su ported in the usual way by the upper part 0 the spindle -b. The machine frame 00 comprises a bowl casing a surrounding the lower part of the separator bowl andsu orting the stationaryreceiving pans d. pindle b is supported by two anti-friction bearings which ma be of anysuitable construction, such as t e ball bearings shown. The bearings are encased within a casing g.

In general it suflices that one of the bearin which case the outer ring of the said hear- "ing is'in a suitable way fixed within or supported by the casing g. 1 shows the lower such as those in substances. It is also necwhich is necessary which, so far as concerns.

in Sweden January 3, 1927.

bearing f adapted to take up the vertical force, its outer ring in this case resting against a shoulder in the casing. The upper bearing may be assumed to be guided in the casing in a well known manner but to be free to move axially. The inner rings of both bearings may be assumed to be fixed to the spindle b. It can, of course also be assumed that the outer rings of both bearmgs are fixed in the casing and the inner ring of one bearing fixed to the spindle.

The bowl casing c is provided, beneath the bowl, with a central opening through which the upper part of spindle b and spindle casing g extend. Projecting up from this opening is a tubular collar h, which, preferably, is prepared as a separate tubular member and is forced into, and thereby fixedly secured within, this opening. Be tween casing g and the wall of the opening in the bowl casingis a suitable flexible and elastic support, such as a spring z',.whereby casing g is supported, with the desired elasticity, at its upper end portion. The lower part. Bracket j nearly surrounds casing g with but little play. The casing should be provided with a projection or key, such as g, which engages a groove in bracket 9' and insures the insertion of the casing in the correct positions and also prevents thesame from partaking of the rotation of the bowl. The bottom of easing g rests on a suitable support, preferably a screw is, which is .adjustable vertically to adjust the bowl and spindle to their correct vertical position.

Secured to spindle. b above casing g-and collar h is a cover 4), which is provided with a depending mantle or skirt m extending outside and spaced from .collar 71) and which' may alsobe providedwith a depending mantle or skirt n extending down between and spaced from collar h and easing 9. Cover '0 may be provided with suitable means for imparting a rotary movement to the air. Such means may be wings of any effective form as, for example, wings 0 depending from the cover near spindle b and wings p extending inward from skirt m.

Casing g is provided with an opening at r to allow the driving force to be applied to the spindle, such as by a worm wheel 8 engaging a worm u on spindle b. Bracket j is provided with a corresponding recess, as shown in Fig. 2, for the same purpose.

The housing or frame :1: is intended to be partly filled with oil, in' any usual way, so that the lubrication of the different parts J may be secured. Any suitablemeans may be rovided for locally lubricating the antiriction bearings. r

The housing frame is provided with an air hole t located above the normal oil level and through which there is free communication between the atmosphere and the interior of the housing. The housing should be provided with projecting lips t that will prevent liquid, such as washing water, from enter-- ing'the housing and oil from escaping therefrom.

The vibrations which usually occur in centrifugal bowls cause vibratory movements of the spindle and the surrounding casing g, which vibrations are taken up, in the usual way, by the spring device 11 and are thus prevented, except in negligible degree, from being transmitted to the housing frame. Casing 9 maintains bearings e and f axially centered so that no eccentric load can arise in the bearings. In this way a proper operation of the anti-friction bearings is secured at relatively high speeds and loads. It is desir able, but not necessary, to position bracket 7' opposite the point of en agement between the worm wheel and spin le worm.

'T hereby the relative movements between the two engaging machine parts caused by the vibrations will be reduced to a minimum and a steady and even transmission of force is secured under all conditions.

The protecting cover, with the devices se-- cured thereto, imparts to' the air a certain rotary movement, producing a fan action that causes air to be drawn from the housing frame into and along casing 9 over collar h, whence thetair is dispersed in the bowl hous- 1ng and escapes through receiving pans (Z.

By reason of the provision of an opening from the atmosphere into the housing frame, I an actualair current, as'distinguished from a mere pressure difference, is e ablished. By suitably dimensioning-the di ent machine parts, the air current, wh w e ma-' chine is running, may be given an desired intensity; and air from the-bowl casing cannot enter the interior of the spindle casing. Thus the driving mechanism, especially the anti-friction bearings, is protected from the entrance of liquid or moisture.

The upwardly moving air current also acts to carry with it finely divided oil-particles which are produced in the rotation of the worm wheel. These particles rise within casing 9 and effect a continuous lubrication of the two anti-friction bearings.

The bowl casing should have the usual provision for thedischarge of waste milk. If the collar 72. and the associated protecting devices are suitably dimensioned, the driving mechanism, when the machine is .at rest as well as in operation, is insured against pen'e tration of liquid.

It will thus be understood that by means of my invention'there are secured, protection of the working)parts, elastic operation of the bowl, good In rication, and good transmiss'ion of the dr'ving power to the bowl spindle.

While the escribed arrangement of cover plate, skirts and wings is of special utility, it will be understood that my invention, in its broader aspect, includes the combination, with other features of my invention, of known means for preventingthe entrance of foreign matter into the bearlngs, as, for example, the arrangement set forth in the Wright Patent No. 1,386,148, dated August 2, 1921.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is: Y W

1. The combination of a centrifugal separator bowl and a driving shaft therefor, a frame comprising a casing surrounding the space adj aceiit'the shaft-engaging end of the bowl and provided with an opening through which said shaft extends', a casing surrounding the shaft and extending through and spaced from the wall of said opening, spacedapart anti-friction bearings between the shaft and the casing, an elastic support for the shaft casing, means to induce a flow of air upwardly along the shaft casing into the bowl casing, and a protective cover adapted to exclude the entrance of foreign matter from the bowl casing to the shaft casing and anti-friction bearings but allowing the specified flow of air.

2. The combination of a driving shaft, :1, casin surrounding the shaft, spaced-apart anti-friction bearings supported between the shaft and casing, means, including an elastic device, to support the casing, an annular member surrounding one end of the casing a protective cover carried by the shaft and extending across said end of the casing and comprising a skirt extending along and spaced from said annular member, and means inducing a How of air along said casing against said cov'erand around said annular member and skirt.

3. The combination of a driving shaft, a I

casing surrounding the shaft, spaced-apart anti-friction bearings supported between the shaft and easing, means, including an elastic device, to support the casing, an annular member surrounding one end of the casing, r

aprotective cover carried by'the shaftand extending across said end of the casingand comprising a sk1rt extendmg along and spaced from sa1d annular member, and means,

including a fan device, inducing a flow of air against said cover and around said annular member and skirt.

. vice engaging 4. The combination of a vertical supporting and driving shaft and a centrifugal separator bowl mounted thereon, a casing surrounding the shaft, a power transmission dethe shaft, spaced-apart antifriction bearings supported between the shaft and casing,a frame comprising a bowl cas- 5. The combination of a vertical support;

ing and driving shaft and a centrifugal separator bowl mounted thereon, a casing surrounding the shaft, a power vice engaging the shaft, spaced-apart antifriction bearings supported between the shaft and casing, a frame comprising a bowl casing H and an enclosure for the shaft casing and *which said shaft extends,

power transmission ing, said frame having an opening for admission of atmospheric air, an annular member on the frame and surrounding the upper end of the shaft casing, a protective cover carried by the shaft and extending across and spaced from the end of the shaft casing adjacent the bowl and extending along and spaced from said annular member, and. a fan device adapted to promote flow of air 11pwardly through said frame along the shaft casing andaround said cover and annular 1 member into the bowl casing. v

6. The combination of a centrifugal separator bowl and a driving shaft therefor, a

frame comprising a casing surrounding the space adjacent the shaft-engaging end of the bowl and provided with an opening through a casing surrounding the shaft and extending .through andspaced from the wall of said opening, abearing for the shaft between the shaft and shaft casing, means to induce a flow of; air upward- 1y albng the shaft easing into the bowl casing, and'a protective cover adapted to exclude the entrance of foreign matter from the frame casing to the shaft casing and bearing but allowing the specified flow of air.

7. The combination of a centrifugal separator bowl and a driving shaft therefor, a frame comprising a casing surrounding t transmission dedevice, means, including an elastic device supporting the shaft casspace adjacent the shaft-engaging end of the bowl and provided with an openmg through which said shaft extends, a casing surrounding the shaft and extending through and spaced from the wall of said opening, a hearing for the shaft between the casing, a protective cover carried by the shaft and adjacent both the shaft casing and the opening in the frame casing and adapted to exclude the entrance of foreign matter from the frame casing to the shaft casing and bearing, and wings carried by said cover and acting as fans to induce a flow of air upwardly along the shaft casing into the frame cas- 1ng. 8. The combination of a vertical supporting and driving shaft, a centrifugal bowl mounted thereon, a casing s shaft, a bearing for the sha between the shaft and the casing, a frame comprising a bowl casing and an enclosure for the shaft casing, an annular member on the frame sur- -76 shaft and shaftrrounding the rounding and spaced from the shaft casing,

and a protective cover carried'by the shaft and extending across the upper end of the casing and downalong said annular member and permitting flow of airupwa rdly through said frame along the shaftv venting entrance of foreig'nimatter from the bowl casing into the shaft and shaft bearing. In testimony of which invention, I have hereunto set my hand, at Stockholm, Sweden, on this 30th day ofNovember, 1927.v

ERIK AU UST FORSBERG.

casing but pre- 6 

